URGENT: YOUR HELP IS NEEDED

The Village of Ridgewood submitted an application to the State Historic Preservation Office to raze the National Historic Schedler Property to make way for artificial turf. Citizens will be stripped of their right to a clean, safe and healthy environment, American History will be destroyed, a green ecosystem of 7 acres will be clear cut, and wildlife will be decimated.

 

Join us in sending a comment to the NJ State Historic Preservation Office and ask them to protect this historical property and reject the artificial turf proposal!

WHAT TO DO IMMEDIATELY:

Help by sending the following email to the State of New Jersey. Each section can be cut and pasted for your quick and easy convenience. One email per family member is allowed. 

Please spread the word to neighbors, family and friends throughout the country to save this National Historic Site.

Thank you for your support. Together, we can make a meaningful impact.

——————————————————-

EMAIL LETTER - PLEASE CUT, PASTE and send 

TO:
State Historic Preservation
jennifer.leynes@dep.nj.gov
kate.marcopul@dep.nj.gov

elizabeth.dragon@dep.nj.gov
meghan.baratta@dep.nj.gov

Andrea.Tingey@dep.nj.gov
Vincent.Maresca@dep.nj.gov

CC: schedlerfriends@gmail.com.

Subject: HPO Project No. 20-0608; Re: Schedler (460 W Saddle River Road)

Hi,

I am writing to object to the Application for Project Authorization Under the New Jersey Register of Historic Places Act, dated February 16, 2024, submitted by the Village of Ridgewood, New Jersey (the “Application”).  The Application fails to meet the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation and should be denied. 

The proposed plan constitutes encroachment on the Historic house and property.

The Application is based on conceptual drawings and non-specific descriptions of the proposed field and landscaping.  These conceptual drawings do not provide adequate assurances of appropriate scale or protection from “physical destruction, damage, or alteration of the registered property” (constituting encroachment). Conditional approval without accurate measurements and specific information and details regarding the protections from damage potentially caused by sports activities from the field just feet away, provides an opportunity for unauthorized risks to the historic house and property.
 
The proposed plan isolates the historic property and destroys the “character” and integrity of the registered property (constituting encroachment). The conceptual plan shows a field that is over 27 times the size of the historic home, changing the original natural and agricultural setting to a modern sports complex (composed of an artificial turf field more than 75% larger than originally proposed, with roads, parking and a berm). 
 
The proposed plan modifies the property in a manner that substantially diminishes the historic significance (constituting encroachment) and erases the national historic importance of the region and this specific parcel. The proposed plan does not promote historic preservation but rather contradicts the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards by:
failing to demonstrate public benefit and support;
failing to disclose and determine feasible and prudent alternatives that exist; and
failing to disclose and avoid, reduce, or mitigate the encroachment and adverse impacts; and 
failing to disclose financials and adaptations to address natural hazards as well as sustainability 
While the Application includes information regarding SHPO approval of other turf fields on historic property, there is no mention of the increased data in recent years about the dangers of artificial turf, including bans on such fields in the last 2 years in certain cities, states and professional sports.  Bergen County has the 4th highest total PFAS levels in the US (according to the Environmental Working Group) and Ridgewood has ongoing lawsuits regarding its local contamination issues. The addition of a turf field at Schedler gives one more entry point for PFAS into the community, and at Schedler, places it within yards of active wells of certain neighboring homes. The balance between field demand strategies and potential health risks is one that should not be decided through an administrative review.
 
Finally, it should be noted that about half of the Application is composed of letters of objection. Other residents’ letters included in the Application are prior to the 2023 plan and are written in support of the renovation of the historic home (with no reference to plans for the property). Only 6 (out of 59) support letters relate to the 2023 proposed plan. The Application includes no other public support.

Please deny the Village of Ridgewood’s application which undermines and compromises the safety, welfare, and true needs of the community, and will irreversibly destroy American History. 

[Your Name]